Villagers block road in Kerala’s Wayanad, demand justice for elephant attack victim

Wayanad (Kerala), Jul 17 (PTI) A massive protest erupted in a village in this hill district on Wednesday with locals alleging ‘inaction’ on the government’s part after an elephant attack victim succumbed to his injuries sustained days ago.

Raju, 52, who was seriously injured in the wild elephant attack on July 14, succumbed to his wounds on Tuesday while being treated at a hospital in Kozhikode.

On Wednesday, outrage and grief swept through the village as hundreds of people protested the government’s alleged inaction in preventing wild elephant attacks which had claimed yet another life.

Blocking a highway carrying the body of the victim in an ambulance, protesters in Kalloor, near Sultan Bathery, demanded that the government find a permanent solution to end the rising number of human-wildlife animal conflicts in Wayanad.

They also expressed their anger towards Minister O R Kelu, who arrived at the scene to meet the victim’s family.

The protesters demanded a compensation of Rs 50 lakh for Raju’s family and a permanent government job for his son.

On Sunday, at around 8.45 pm, Raju was attacked by a wild elephant while walking home from his farm.

The pachyderm, which was standing near the field, suddenly turned and attacked Raju, causing injuries to his abdomen and legs.

Earlier this year, Kerala witnessed fatalities due to wild elephant attacks.

The victims were- Paul (50), a forest watcher, 42-year-old Wayanad reisdent Aji and Lakshmanan, a 65-year-old estate watcher, all from Wayanad, and Indira Ramakrishnan, a woman from Idukki district.